The prior art provides separate mechanisms for positioning coupons, such as onserts or inserts, and rotating those coupons. For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication 2004/0242393, which is hereby incorporated by reference for all useful purposes, discloses a machine for folding and applying onserts onto consumer goods such as cigarette packs. The machine comprises a continuous roll of preprinted onserts and a transverse cutter assembly for cutting onsert segments from the continuous roll. Each onsert segment includes a pair of side-by-side preprinted onserts. A buckle folder receives each cut onsert segment and folds that segment along at least one transverse fold line. A longitudinal cutter assembly longitudinally cuts each folded onsert segment into two individual onserts. A transport system serially receives the individual folded onserts and moves the onserts along dual diverging paths where a pair of spaced apart lug belt conveyors receives the onserts from the discharge end of the transport system. Each lug belt conveyor includes spaced apart transverse lugs along the length thereof against which the onserts are positioned. A pair of spaced apart applicator wheels transfers the onserts from the conveyors onto spaced apart consumer goods traveling past the applicator wheels.
It is noteworthy that buckle folders are known in the art for producing folds in paper goods that operate by stopping the forward end of a paper substrate while continuing to move the remainder of the substrate thereby causing it to buckle downwardly into a roller nip which produces the fold. Mechanisms of this general type are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,125,254, which is incorporated herein by reference for all useful purposes.
The operations of positioning and rotating coupons have never been combined into one mechanism for applying coupons to cigarette packs or pack film. It is therefore an objective of the invention to provide a machine that accurately positions and rotates a coupon on a single processing mechanism.